Pep Guardiola left staring personification of Man City problems in the face at Liverpool
Liverpool moved 11 points clear of Premier League champions Manchester City with victory at Anfield, as Pep Guardiola saw his side's miserable recent run continue
by Chris McKenna · The MirrorManchester City didn’t pay a penny to bring back Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona.
If you watched him at Anfield on Sunday, you might think they were still ripped off. Maybe a few alarm bells should have been ringing when the Catalan giants were happy to tear up the German midfielder’s contract and let him waltz back to England.
Barcelona cited their ongoing financial difficulties but City should have been wary. He is an iconic figure of their success under Pep Guardiola. A Treble winner. But he should have remained in their past.
Gundogan is one of the symptoms of Guardiola’s few failings. He’s not regenerated this City side in time and bringing him back was not the right decision.
He was the master of tweaking and evolving them to continue their domination of English football. But without Rodri, they’re crumbling under cracked foundations and Liverpool demolished them here.
It was 2-0 but it could - and perhaps should - have been five or six for the hosts. Gundogan was sloppy on the ball throughout, surrendered possession in dangerous areas and struggled to get back to recover the ball.
It added to the Liverpool onslaught as it allowed them to get the crowd behind them as red shirts marauded forward while Gundogan often ambled back. He was finally subbed before the hour mark but, in truth, he was lucky to last that long.
This was not the player who helped City to five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and a Champions League.
There’s a big debate here on Merseyside on whether Liverpool can risk giving Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah long-term deals given their ages. But Salah, at 32, and Van Dijk, at 33, looked like energetic teenagers in comparison to the 34-year-old Gundogan.
City’s Premier League title race looks run and Gundogan’s time at the top level may also be over.
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
£46 (was £56)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.